After yesterday’s profile on Jake O’Brien, it’s finally time for the second defenseman on our list – Czech defenseman Radim Mrtka!
Mrtka has an impressive set of raw tools, and it’s likely scouts are going to dream about having a right-handed defenseman of Mrtka’s size. With a 6-foot-6 and 198 pound frame, and having played in a Czech pro league before making his way to the WHL, Mrtka’s immediate physical presence on the ice is unmistakably attractive to teams. Add in some solid skating for a big defenseman and decent junior scoring numbers? Mrtka, really, has the makings of a lottery pick in June.
Mrtka has been a consistent riser in draft boards over the past few months, all the way to the point where Mrtka is solidly in contention for the first defenseman not named Matthew Schaefer to be taken come the NHL Draft. He’s still quite a divisive prospect, and reminds me a little bit over the debate about massive Russian defenseman Anton Silayev a year ago (New Jersey’s No. 10 overall pick). There are some very similar concerns to Silayev, namely surrounding his decision-making, how fast he moves the puck, and whether the offense can translate to the pro game.
Pre-draft rankings
No. 8 The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 14 by Elite Prospects
No. 12 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 12 by Daily Faceoff
Bio
DOB: June 9, 2007
Birthplace: Czechia
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 198 lbs
Shoots: Right
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Mrtka is a really solid all-around defenseman, but he’s really gained the reputation of being a pretty stout defensive player in his own zone. When you hear that a defenseman in the draft has the big frame that Mrtka does, there are typically two schools of thought. The first is often that the player is a must-draft almost no matter what, loved by old-school hockey minds as a physical presence that teams need in order to win. The second, by a more skeptical crowd, tries to avoid a defenseman of that size if they don’t have the skating, the skill, and the hockey IQ to back it up.
Luckily for Mrtka and his long-term NHL projectability, he’s much closer to the full package for a defenseman. He checks two, maybe all three of the three boxes in that second group, combining some pretty good skating ability with decent puck-handling skills in the offensive zone. Mrtka doesn’t have especially quick hands, but he makes the “right play” in the offensive zone almost every time – leading to his 35 points in 43 games in the WHL. A perfect example is in the clip below, where Mrtka leverages his size to hold off pressure at the top of the zone, and then whips a perfect D-to-D pass to his partner for an assist.
The biggest plus of Mrtka’s game, though, has to be his skating for his size. While Mrtka is certainly a more defensive minded defenseman, Mrtka really can kick it into overdrive when he joins the rush. The play below shows a complete end-to-end rush and assist from Mrtka, and you can see what happens when Mrtka is full steam ahead. It takes him a little bit to fully accelerate, but the skating reminds me quite a lot of Travis Sanheim operating at his very best.
Defensively, Mrtka’s completely unafraid in disrupting the play – and it shows in how he handles incoming rushes and net-front battles. Mrtka isn’t one of those large defenders that relies solely on his size (even if he does fall into that). He’s very disciplined, with very infrequent penalty infractions and smart stick positioning. That’s where he’s a little different from defenders like Anton Silayev in previous drafts – Mrtka isn’t entirely physical might in the defensive zone, he’s a combination of a bunch of different attributes.
What’s not to like?
As much as Mrtka’s been a solid defensive defenseman, there are legitimate questions about Mrtka’s real defensive instincts and if they will hold up in the NHL. Even with the paragraph of information above, there are still lots of times where Mrtka really relies on his long reach, raw physical tools, and his ability to just take up a ton of space in the defensive zone. This isn’t to say Mrtka merely relies on bullying players in juniors – but it certainly does happen often. That may disrupt play to a high success rate in juniors and a Czech pro league, but in the NHL? That is going to be exposed by much more skillful players, and Mrtka is going to need to work even further on positional awareness and anticipation. If he can, Mrtka’s raw combination of physical tools and defensive acumen could be pretty darn good and a handful for oppositions to deal with.
Also, there are legitimate questions about Mrtka’s ability to move the puck to a high level. The puck just seems to stay on his stick for a split second too long, and that leads to mistakes, whether in the offensive or defensive zones. In the defensive zone, you see some really big issues when Mrtka is under pressure from forecheckers. Again, coaches should be able to help him with this, and get Mrtka to be clicking at all times. However, it’s a valid concern on his overall hockey instincts, and whether he has the hockey mind to balance out his raw skills.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
The idea of a hulking, smooth-skating, strong right-shot defenseman with a bit of scoring upside is one that all teams, including the Flyers, are probably dreaming of. That kind of player fits into any system, let alone the Flyers. But, Flyers specifically, handing a defenseman like this to Brad Shaw or a system that the Flyers have run in the past few years would be fascinating. If a coach, whether Brad Shaw or someone else, can teach Mrtka where to pick his spots, watch out.
From a roster perspective, there’s also an appeal of Mrtka being ready (assuming he takes 2-3 years of development) and entering his prime right as Travis Sanheim leaves it. Mrtka’s already taken down massive minutes with his Czech pro league team, and then the Seattle Thunderbirds. Meaning, he’s already had exposure to the heavy lifting that is required to be a high-end defenseman – and could slot in nicely when the Flyers are in need of fresh blood. That is in the case where Mrtka works out perfectly, of course, but it’s a fun thought experiment.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
They are certainly able to if they really want him, but they’d have to really really want him and reach for him with their highest selection. And hey! Maybe the Flyers are in love with the idea of having a massive, high-upside defenseman in the pipeline. I strongly doubt that though, and I would really question the pick if it was at their highest one. If not, barring a trade up to the 10-15 range, Mrtka is going elsewhere.
There are just too many guys, in the 6-10 range, that are probably better bets to have long successful NHL careers. If the Flyers were to fall to 6, guys like Jake O’Brien, Victor Eklund, and Caleb Desnoyers are all probably better bets for the Flyers. So, even with the worst case scenario of a trade down, Mrtka begins the range of players that I’d begin to deem a “reach” for the selection.
What scouts are saying
“Mrtka is a giant right-shot defenseman who moves extremely well and played huge all-situations minutes for Czechia at the Hlinka. His minutes in the Czech Extraliga (and Champions Hockey League) with Trinec were quite limited to start the season, though, prompting a move to Seattle in the WHL. With the Thunderbirds, he has been phenomenal, playing to nearly a point per game on a low-scoring team, logging an average of 27 minutes and often 30, and going over the boards first on both the power play and penalty kill. There has been debate in this draft class as to who the second-best D is but for me, it’s Mrtka right now. He’s one of the most intriguing prospects in this class, period, and his upside is exciting.
Mrtka can transport pucks down ice, activate and join the rush, walk the line and even side-step pressure in control. He shows poise and comfort on the puck with a willingness to hold onto it and make a play. He’s got a hard point shot that he does a good job of keeping low and on target. He’s super smooth moving around the ice. He defends well with his long reach and skating. He’s got a good stick. With his length and mobility, his defensive upside is high. And he’s a June birthday who should be able to take advantage of his extra runway and already doesn’t have some of the kinks you expect a D his size and age to have. I think his ceiling is quite high.”
“Mrtka has been logging massive minutes for the Thunderbirds, averaging over 25 per game and being deployed in all situations. The giant, right-shot defenceman provides a wide-ranging skill set. He’s proven he’s capable of contributing better than secondary offence (3G-32A in 43 regular season games) and can be relied upon to block shots and kill plays defensively with his size and length. His small area quickness will need to continue to evolve, but he’s adjusted nicely to the smaller ice surface in North America compared to what he was used to playing on in his native Czechia.”
“I really struggle with what to do with Radim Mrtka. I think he’ll be a player drafted before I would take him, but that’s only because I have more doubts about just how valuable he could be to an NHL roster. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the size, mobility and reach to make it work, and he’s a hard, crisp passer who defends well in transition and I think he’ll make a good middle pair defenseman who can kill penalties and eat good minutes. If his name came up over a name like Bear, Cootes, or Svrcek, I could very, very easily be swayed to go after Mrtka, his defensive zone impact in pursuit of puck carriers relies too much on his raw reach which feels like a limitation, and I don’t buy his offensive zone play as projectable to the NHL. Going back to last year though, I see similarities to names like Levshunov and Silayev here where there are good tools that are deployed okay but the results and offensive upside are a bit questionable. It’s a tough one for me with Mrtka but I’m very very malleable on this one. He stays where he was in December but this range is remarkably close and there is an argument for him to be the guy at 10 as much as there is for him to be here depending on what you value and what you’re looking for.”
Next up, let’s bring an Erie Otter into the poll, winger Malcolm Spence!
“Spence has the ability to be a difference maker. When he’s on his game he brings a combination of skill and will to the equation. He’s put together physically and already plays at NHL pace. Spence has been streaky offensively, but he still generated 32G-41A for the Otters while being deployed in all situations. I’m intrigued by his ability to be thrust into a variety of roles, but I’ve also left some games wanting more from his effort and detail. His best nights would land him higher on my list, but I have to see him bring his “A” game every night in the playoffs.”
